Girl Pushed, Mom Approved Holiday Survey (Press Release)

Moms and Tween Daughters Agree on What to Buy This Holiday Season, and Who to Buy From — Apple, Disney, Nintendo, Target, Converse, Kohl’s, Claire’s, Nike and the Twilight Franchise
Tween Girl Social Networking Site, AllyKatzz.com, and Influential Mom Site, AlphaMom.com, Announce Results From First Annual “Girl Pushed, Mom Approved(TM)” Shopping Survey
Tween girls and their moms may not agree on much but a new survey out today shows that they do agree on what constitutes the best holiday gifts and which brands both mothers and daughters feel best buying from.
Tween Girls and Alpha Moms have fueled the success of today’s top teen stars straight to the top of the Billboard charts and box office and have ignited sales of products like Nintendo Wii — and they are flexing their spending power this holiday season.
In mid-November 2008, AK Tweens, through AllyKatzz.com, the country’s largest and only COPPA compliant safe social networking site for tweenage girls, surveyed 108 members of their Online Street Team; girls aged nine to 16, from across America. The open-ended questions asked what gifts tween girls most wanted this holiday season. The girls’ most frequently cited responses were then presented to a select group of moms, at Alphamom Labs (the research arm of the influential mom site Alphamom.com) all of whom are moms of tweenage girls of the same age range, for their input on which gifts and brands chosen they most approved of and would purchase on their behalf.
The result? A top ten list of “Girl Pushed, Mom Approved” products and brands that have captured the hearts and approval (and potentially the pocketbooks) of both mothers and daughters, two of the most hyper-active purchasing agents this holiday season. The lucky winners include Apple, Disney, Nintendo, Target, Converse, Kohl’s, Claire’s, Nike, and the Twilight franchise.
“Girl Pushed, Mom Approved” Top Ten Gift List
(#1 being most coveted by Girls, and approved by Moms)
1. GIFT CARDS — Of the girls’ specific choices, Mom’s favorites are Barnes & Noble, Target, iTunes and Claire’s. Girls prefer these brands because the stores sell items on their “gotta have” list (e.g. clothing, entertainment and makeup). Moms picked these brands because they are familiar with the retailers and the quality of their merchandise and approve of their price points.
2. MUSIC/CDS — Of the girls’ specific choices, Disney artists, The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and the High School Musical cast rank highest with moms because they know them, approve of their song content and believe their songs are family-friendly.
3. iPOD OR MP3 PLAYERS — Apple is the hands down winner for both girls and their moms, with the iPod Touch ($229) as the girls’ most coveted, followed by Nano ($149).
4. CLOTHING — Of the girls’ specific clothing retail choices, moms favored (in order) Old Navy, Kohl’s and Limited Too for their large selection of stylish clothing that remains age-appropriate and affordable. For footwear, of the girls’ specific choices, Moms favored Target as their #1 retailer overall, and Converse and Nike as their favorite brands, based again on price and availability of age appropriate selections, and in the case of Converse and Nike, because Moms themselves have worn and/or are still wearing the brand so they trust the quality and believe prices are good.
5. BOOKS — Girls’ top book titles were Twilight (by a wide margin), The Clique Series, Dear Dumb Diary, Beacon Street Girls, Petty Little Liars, Nancy Drew and Wicked. For moms, Twilight and Nancy Drew were the big winners because moms are most familiar with these titles and/or they are also reading/have read them.
6. MOBILE PHONES — Tween girls want mobile phones because it’s their lifeline to friends. Brand isn’t important, but features and colors most certainly are! Girls want full keyboards, texting and the color pink. Moms are brand agnostic when it comes to their daughters’ phones and instead make their buying decisions based on their existing family mobile calling plans.
7. LAPTOPS — Girls want them and moms approve and both overwhelmingly choose Apple (Mac) at 23.2% — well above Mac’s national market share. However, given the economy, this is the one category where while moms approve, they aren’t buying due to price.
8. MAKEUP, PERFUME, HAIR ACCESSORIES — Girls don’t have a favorite brand — instead they have favorite stores where they shop for these items. Not surprisingly, girls’ top stores that moms approve of are the same retailers they picked for gift cards — Target and Claire’s.
9. VIDEO GAME SYSTEMS AND/OR GAMES (TIED FOR NINTH PLACE) — Moms want their daughters up on their feet — of the girls’ top choices, moms choose Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Fit and PopStar Guitar. For video gaming systems, moms and girls favored Nintendo Wii and DS. Moms pick Wii because they like to play it themselves and they view it as a “family system/gift.” For specific games, moms approved of any non-violent game that is appropriate for the entire family and encourages their girls to do “happy” things like singing and dancing.
DIGITAL CAMERAS (TIED FOR NINTH PLACE) — Girls care about color, not brands! Girls choose pink, lime green, blue and orange, and moms approved.
10. DVDs — As with music, Disney is the winner. Of the girls’ choices, Disney movies Camp Rock and High School Musical (1,2, & 3) score the highest with moms. Simply stated, Disney is the brand moms trust.
NOTE: COMPLETE SURVEY RESULTS, INCLUDING DETAILED REPORTS, ARE AVAILABLE BY REQUEST.
ABOUT AK TWEENS
AK Tweens is the leading consulting, research and marketing company that captures the thoughts and opinions of tweenage girls and is built around the country’s largest and only COPPA compliant tween social networking site, AllyKatzz.com. 75,000 tweenage girls visit AllyKatzz.com monthly to share uncensored information about what’s going on in their worlds: opinions, ideas, dreams, people, places, products and trends. AK Tweens is able to translate their thoughts and opinions from “tweenage chatter” into valuable feedback for companies seeking a more meaningful and beneficial relationship with the tween girl market. Clients include Disney Records, Universal Music, Hollywood Records, Red by Marc Ecko, XS Games, Girl Scouts of the USA, Harper Collins and Sony Pictures, among others. AK Tweens Founder and CEO, Denise Restauri, is the country’s foremost expert on tweenage girls and is a frequent commentator on national television, newspapers, magazines and radio programs including ABC, NPR, E!Online, USA Today, People Magazine and More Magazine.
ABOUT ALPHA MOM(TM)
ALPHA MOM(TM), based in New York City, is a consumer lifestyle brand and new media company that cultivates, validates and commercializes the influence of Alpha Moms, a group that represents 22% of online moms, or 11 million moms today, with $500 billion in household purchasing power. Alpha Mom’s properties include its editorially focused online website and community found at Alphamom.com, and its research entity, Alphamom Labs(TM).